cooking and eating close to home

Hello friends,

We are so very grateful to have sufficient food during these times of isolation. Early on, I did an inventory of our freezer and found a few fun surprises. I found a quart of apple cider, pressed from our own trees, during a neighborhood cider pressing party last fall. There are lots of frozen soups, stews and baked goods in there too.  

On Easter Sunday, Batman decided to whip out his Great British Baking Show skills and tried his hand at a hot water crust meat pie. Filled with ground lamb (from the freezer), potatoes, peas, tomatoes, currants and spices, there was NO soggy bottom!

We're still growing sprouts in containers on the windowsill and in jars in the kitchen. This sprouting mix came from High Mowing Seeds. That beautiful Meyer lemon (above) is the first harvested from our windowsill tree this season. Six more are ripening on the tree. And the muffin is filled with blueberries grown last summer at our "bit of earth", pulled out of the freezer for chilly morning baking. We had run out of buttermilk and instead I added a tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of milk, let it stand for 10 minutes and then used it in the recipe. #pandemicflexibility

Our favorite local eatery, the Black Krim Tavern is still open, serving pre-ordered meals "to go" from the sidewalk. They have just started a fundraiser to support other local businesses in town. On Wednesday you can order a "meal kit" to pick up on Friday. It is priced so that part of the profit goes to a donation fund. Folks who are able, are also encouraged to overpay at bit. Sarah has a table full of free vegetables on the sidewalk, grown by her husband Chip, who runs Pebble Brook Farm. Yesterday I buzzed down the hill and picked up some meal kits and last night Batman cooked us up some dilled salmon, plated over a carrot and parsnip mash, topped with an orange and olive slaw. It was fabulous. We remain grateful for our small town living and we honor the people who are working with generous hearts to keep multiple bottom lines as they try to stay afloat themselves.

Last weekend, two of our daughters cooked up homemade bagels in their kitchens. They texted process questions back and forth and then posted pictures of their bagels online. What a fun way for siblings to stay connected! Now inspired, I have printed out a recipe from King Arthur Flour and plan to give bagels a try here in Vermont.

Last week, Batman bought and printed out his fishing license, and so perhaps someday soon we will have fresh caught fish to grill up. Standing in waders in very cold, rushing water may not sound like fun to you, but that is one of the best places for him to relax from his legislative duties. And you can bet he leaves his phone in the truck!

And just for fun...Jennifer Judd-Mcgee has some new free printable coloring sheets available here, and the page (above) is from artist Lisa Congdon. This page can be found here.

***Keeping this space as a quiet refuge continues to be my goal. I have recently added a few timely pieces to my long quiet blog "a repository for growth", where I keep more feisty subject matter archived. There's a link in my sidebar.***